LAS VEGAS (Júní 15, 2016) -World Series að berjast (WSOF.com) announced today that Thiago Meller has withdrawn from his scheduled welterweight (170 £) Keppnin gegn John “Doomsday” Howard (23-12), sem mun nú frammi“Mad” Mike Arrant (15-10) in a middleweight (185 £) bout at the much-anticipated WSOF31: Ivanov vs. Copeland world championship doubleheader Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) atburður, lifa á NBCSN (9 p.m. OG/6 p.m. PT) frá Foxwoods Resort Casino í Mashantucket, Conn. á Föstudagur, Júní 17.

Að auki, undefeated Marcus Surin (3-0) of Stamford, Conn. has been tabbed to step in for Sam Watford í tímaáætlun léttur (155 £) preliminary card contest against Christian “The Terminator” Torres (0-0) of Endicott, N.Y..

Originally hailing from Orlando, Fla., 5-fótur-9, 28-year-old Arrant, a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu brown belt, resides in Las Vegas, where he is a member of legendary champion Randy “The Natural” Couture’s Xtreme Couture fight squad.

Arrant is looking to return to the win column following a unanimous decision defeat in his last start on August 7, 2015, at the hands of two-time UFC veteran Brock Jardine.

Prior to the loss, Arrant had reeled off six consecutive victories, five of which he produced in the first round, by way of (T)KO eða uppgjöf. Hingað, 12 hans 15 professional wins have been finishes.

During the six-fight win streak, Arrant seized his first championship – regional promotion SteelFist Fight Night’s welterweight title – with a first round (5:00) WHO (retirement) af Carl Dieckmann júlí 12, 2013.

Like Arrant, the 5-foot-7, 33-year-old Howard boasts a phenomenal finish rate with 15 hans 23 professional victories having come by way of (T)KO eða uppgjöf.

Howard will make his promotional debut with World Series of Fighting following a second stint with the UFC that spanned seven fights and included wins over Uriah Hall, Siyar Bahadurzada og Cathal Pendred.

Verð frá $39.99, tickets for WSOF31: Ivanov vs. Copeland are on sale at WSOF.com and Foxwoods.com.

Doors at The Grand Theatre at Foxwoods Resort Casino will open at 5 p.m. OG, and the first of seven preliminary card bouts will begin at 5:45 p.m.

Öllu forkeppni Baráttan kortið mun streyma lifandi á Ívafin vídeó leikmaður á WSOF.com.

In the main event of the five-bout, lifa NBCSN útsending, reigning World Series of Fighting heavyweight champion Blagoy Ivanov (13-1) will put his title on the line against Josh “Cuddly Bear” Copeland (12-3).

Í léttu samstarf helstu atburði, superstars Jason "The Kansas City Bandit" High (19-5) og Mike "The Martian" Ricci (11-4) will square off with their division’s number one contender ranking at stake.

WSOF31: IVANOV VS. COPELAND

MAIN CARD (Live á NBCSN)

World Series of Fighting Heavyweight Championship Main Event:
Blagoy Ivanov (Champion) vs. Josh Copeland (Challenger)

Léttur Co-Main Event:
Jason High vs. Mike Ricci

Middleweight: John Howard vs. Mike Arrant
Featherweight: Luis Palomino vs. Sheymon Moraes
Middleweight: Phil Hawes vs. Josh Key

Forkeppni CARD (Lifa á WSOF.com)

Léttur: Tom Marcellino vs. Devin Powell
Heavyweight: Juliano Coutinho vs. Justin Willis
Heavyweight: Tyler King vs. Lorenzo Hood
Welterweight: Robert Fonseca vs. Sean Lally
Léttur: Bruce Boyington vs. Saul Almeida
Bantamweight: Rodrigo Almeida vs. Ben Pierre-Saint
Léttur: Marcus Surin vs. Christian Torres